Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh),
India

History

Bilaspur State had an area
of 453 sq. miles with a population of 110,336 (1941) in 992 villages and maintained
a force of 80 infantry. Situated on both sides of the Sutlej, which traversed
it east to west, the domain divided into two equal parts called the Parla (Trans)
and the Warla (Cis). Mandi and Kangra bordered on the north, on the west by
the Hoshiarpur district, on the south by Nalagarh, and on the east by Baghal
and Suket. The capital of the state was originally at Jhandbari and then at
Kot Kehloor, but was later transferred to Bilaspur. The Rajas were members of
the Kheloorea clan of the Chandravanshi Rajputs from the ancient Rajas of Chanderi
in Bundelkhand.

The full list of the Rajas
of Bilaspur can be found here:

Lieutenant-Colonel HH Raja
Sir Bijai Chand KCIE (1872-1931)

Raja Bijai Chand succeeded
his father in 1889 when he was only 16 years old. He was given the decoration
of the Companion of the Star of India on the occasion of the Delhi Durbar in
1911 and was made Knight Commander of the Indian Empire (KCIE) in 1918. During
World War 1 he placed his personal services and all the resources of his State
at the disposal of the British Government.

HH Raja Sir Anand Chand
KCIE (1913-1983)

Raja Anand Chand was born
on the 26th of January, 1913. He studied at Mayo College and then went to Delhi
and engaged in Civil and Judicial training in the Gurgaon District before he
was invested with full ruling powers on the 9th of January, 1933. The Raja abolished
Begar (heavy labour) in 1936 and passed legislation abolishing child marriage.
In 1942 he introduced the Bilaspur Prohibition Act. Additionally under his leadership
new roads were constructed linking the capital with both Suket and Mandi, and
likewise new schools and health centres were constructed. He also built the
Shri Gopalji Temple and the New Palace, which were later submerged in the Bhakara
Reservoir along with most of old Bilaspur Town. He received the KCIE in 1945
and also served as a Member of the Constituent Assembly (1947-1948).

On the 12th of October,
1948, Bilaspur was constituted as a centrally administered area, and the Raja
was appointed Chief Commissioner with a Deputy appointed by the Government of
India. On the 26th of January, 1950 Bilaspur became a Part C State. On the 1st
of July, 1954 it was merged into Himachal Pradesh.

Raja Anand Chand served
in the First Lok Sabha (1952-1957) representing Bilaspur. Later he served in
the Rajya Sabha (1958-1970) and was a member of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative
Asembly (1977-1982).

Raja Anand Chand married
Umawati of Jubbal in 1931 and had four children. Rani Umawati died of a heart
attack in 1961 in Dr Sen's Nursing home in Delhi.

Raja Anand Chand married
Sudarshana Kumari, daughter of Mehar Chand of Bhojpur, in 1969. They had two
children, Tika Gopal Chand and Rajkumari Sunanda Chand.

HH Raja Dr Gopal Chand
MA PhD (1969-)

Raja Anand Chand died on
the 12th of October, 1983. According to his Will's provisions, he bequeathed
his main residence, Gopal Niwas (now Raja Gopal Chand Palace) in Bilaspur, to
his youngest son, Tika Gopal Chand, who also performed his last rites at Bilaspur.

Click Here for a link to
Raja Anand Chand's last Will: Click Here for a scan of
Raja Anand Chand's last Will (2 Mb):

Raja Gopal Chand was educated
at the City of London School for Boys
(1979-1987) and received his MA and PhD (1995) from Trinity
College, Cambridge in the United Kingdom. He married Lakshmi Rana, daughter
of Major Gandharb Singh Rana, in 1996. They have two children: Tika Raj Chand
was born in 1997 and Rajkumari Jaya Chand was born in 1999.

Family Tree

Click
Here for a link to the Bilaspur Ruling Family tree from 1888 to the present
day:

Members of the Bilaspur
Royal Family

Rajkumari Ambika Devi (1933-1981)

Rajkumari Ambika Devi died
in 1981. In her Will, she beqeaths her residence (Uma Pragati Niketen) in Bilaspur
to a Trust in order to operate it as a school for the disadvantaged. The Will
has not been executed.

Yuvraj Rajendra Chand (1935-1971)

Yuvraj Rajendra Chand died
in 1971 intestate.

Rajkumari Rajeshwari (1937-2004)

Rajkumari Rajeshwari died
in November 2004. In her Will, she beqeaths her residence in Bilaspur to the
Government of Himachal Pradesh to run as an Old Age Home, a Home for the blind
and also an orphanage. The Will has not been executed.

Click Here for a link to
Rajkumari Rajeshwari's last Will: Click Here for a scan of
Rajkumari Rajeshwari's last Will:

Kanwar Kirti Chand (1943-)

Kanwar Kirti Chand married
Karuna, daughter of Hamendar Singh of Mohal, in 1979. After the death of Rajkumari
Rajeshwari, Kanwar Kirti Chand was given her residence in Bilaspur by the Sub-Divisional
Magistrate, Sadar, Bilaspur (Himachal Pradesh) on the 25th of July 2005.